Comments on: An Ideal Contractor-Developer Marriage

By: Cyclops

Cyclops — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:04:28 +0000

Cynic, from one to another, are you really wanting to compare Boise and it’s proposed park to the Reno River Festival? Unless you know of three or four American Indian tribes that want to come to town, and or, you can convince the state legislature to approve gambling, to compare us to Reno is silly. the River Festival is NO DRAW! It is a reason to go because there are over 40 damned casinos in the town!!
Vail is a tourist DESTINATION! Again, the whitewater competition is an ATTRACTION, not a draw!!
By the way, if I were your side on this, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the city’s part of the funding. Time’s are tough and this type of expenditure may be attractive when there is a 10 million surplus. Not so much when the budget is contracting! Just a little head’s up!

By: Gordon

Gordon — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:44:53 +0000

boisecynic:
“Vail, small town Vail has an annual whitewater event that brings in an estimated $2.3 million. Tourism is a legitimate business.”

What Vail? Colorado or Arizona?

Or, if you meant Vale, as in Oregon: Did the town spend $1.5 million-plus to create whitewater, or does it have it naturally?

Seems to me there’s lots of whitewater in Idaho; dunno as we need to spend money to “move” it to Boise.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:48:58 +0000

Cyclops, your handle should be cynic not mine. 🙂 The white water park will most likely be used for at least one annual event that will draw thousands. Many from out of town who will stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. I contend the economic impact from these events will pay for the investment in a very short time frame. How is this very different from BSU football games.

Google the Reno River Festival, not to be confused with the defunct Boise River Festival. The Reno festival is actually about the river and not fatty foods and big balloons.

Vail, small town Vail has an annual whitewater event that brings in an estimated $2.3 million. Tourism is a legitimate business.

Boise city’s contribution of $1.5 million is only one percent of the annual budget. Not annually, but for 2 years only. Not a bad investment for something that will last 100 years or more.

By: Gordon

Gordon — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:04:53 +0000

I don’t think getting Graham Construction of Spokane to build the dam is a good idea. They didn’t even finish the bridge before it fell down.
Look for the outfit that built Teton Dam a few years ago. That project was completed, and as soon as the water flowed in to fill the reservoir, the dam disintegrated.

Much more effective.

By: James Bond

James Bond — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:43:51 +0000

Crap, I love the area, because you got these 6 or 7 lane one-way roads and NO TRAFFIC!!!! It’s like being a kid on a go-kart track.

By: Cyclops

Cyclops — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:58:35 +0000

Cynic, while you make some valid points, I’m afraid I can’t agree with you on this one.
We simply cannot afford to dedicate any additional monies for the CCDC to run their operation. With the called for audit by Tibbs, and seconded by the mayor, we are now approaching 18 months since the CCDC audit was requested! Is the CCDC trying to hide something? I don’t know because they won’t respond. But, I DO know that their current position is starting to stink to high heaven! I know junior high school kids that could “cook” a set of books in 18 months!
With regard to the “wading pond”, we are still talking about an expenditure by the city of 1.5 million dollars over the next 2 years! For something that will directly benefit maybe 200 people, that is economically insane! We are talking about a city that is complaining they don’t have the funds to open the Depot to the PUBLIC more than 1 1/2 days a week! Yet we have the funds to develop rocks put in the river?
As much as I respect your opinion, we are at odds here. I would certainly be willing to re-visit the new URD, the day AFTER the audit is released!

By: TJ

TJ — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:36:02 +0000

Amen, Cynic. I own a little piece of property about two blocks from the blight. My property was assessed at $140,000 – the house is about 80 years old and has had no improvements done since the late 70’s. The lot is very small. Typical North End. I can’t raise the rent because I couldn’t do that to a disabled Vet. It really annoys me that the City of Boise keeps all that weedy property off the tax rolls while they keep charging me more and more.

By: boisecynic

boisecynic — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:07:51 +0000

The whitewater park is not being funded by CCDC. A $1 million donation came from Mr. Harvey Neef. $750,000 for 2 consecutive years has been pledged by the City of Boise and there have been tens of thousands in other private donations.

When the dam fails? I guess your time in England has given you quite the dry sense of humor.

It was the construction of the Broadway/Chinden Connector more than anything else that drove business out of the Fairview/Main Corridor.

As to taking that property off the tax rolls, it’s already off the tax rolls to a great extent because of the area’s significant under-utilization.

West Downtown property owners have been paying taxes for 70/80 years and when was the last time any of that tax money was spent in the neighborhood? Oh yeah, we got a few sidewalks rebuilt and new playground equipment at Fairview Park. The tax money is already being sucked out of the neighborhood, it’s high time for a URD so the taxes paid in the neighborhood stay in the neighborhood.